Touch I/O devices, such as touch sensitive panels, may receive touch input for interacting with a computer system. Such touch I/O devices may operate under the direction of a touch I/O device controller that is controlled by the computer system (i.e., the host). For example, a touch I/O device may detect one or more fingers of a user in order to capture one or more fingerprints, monitor movement of the user's finger(s) in order to determine one or more navigational directions, and so on. Whether the touch I/O device captures the user's fingerprint or monitors movement of the user's finger in order to determine navigational direction may depend on the sub-state in which the touch I/O device controller is operating. In some cases, the host may control the sub-state in which the touch I/O device controller is operating. Such control may be influenced based on a determination of what function the user is attempting to use the touch I/O device for.
However, in order to control the operational sub-state of the touch I/O device, the host may need to frequently communicate with the touch I/O device controller to obtain data regarding the user's finger, make determinations regarding such data, and communicate with the touch I/O device controller to accordingly control the operational sub-state of the touch I/O device. Such operations may be burdensome on the host and may consume finite host processing resources, power resources (as the host may consume more power than the touch I/O device controller and/or the host may have to operate more frequently and thus consume more power when communicating so frequently with the touch I/O device controller), and/or finite communication bandwidth between the host and the touch I/O device controller.
In addition to consuming finite host processing resources, power resources, and/or communication bandwidth resources, such host monitoring and communication may not be performable without delays that are noticeable to a user. For example, a user may attempt to utilize a touch I/O device for navigation purposes when the touch I/O device controller is operating in a fingerprint capture sub-state. In such a case, the host may have to receive data regarding the user's utilization of the touch I/O device, determine that the user is attempting to user the touch I/O device for navigation rather than fingerprint capture, and switch the sub-state of the touch I/O device controller to navigation sub-state. However, the user may notice that the requested navigation is not occurring by the time that the host is able to switch the sub-state if the delay is of a sufficient duration. Further, in some cases at least a portion of the user's intended navigation input received before the host is able to switch the sub-state may be lost. In either situation, the host may not respond as the user expects. This may cause the user to become frustrated and/or otherwise dissatisfied with the host.